The Importance of Proper Research
by nicnac918
Summary: In which Clark is in love with his best friend and Chloe finds the whole thing a bit ridiculous, really. Clex


Clark thought it was maybe a little unfair of him to be going to Chloe for advice in this situation, especially when he was about 70% sure she still had a crush on him, but he didn't really have any other options. He was, for various reasons, not really comfortable coming out to anyone else yet. (Except for maybe his mom, but that would mean telling his dad he was gay too. And Clark could live to be a hundred and not be ready for that conversation.) Chloe, therefore, was the only one who knew he was gay, which consequently meant she was the only one he could go to for advice about the potentially monumentally disastrous discovery he had just made.

Clark edged his way into the Torch, and shut the door firmly behind him. He did _not_ want anyone walking by in the hall to overhear this conversation. Chloe, absorbed with something on the computer, didn't look up when he walked in, or even acknowledge his presence.

"Chloe?"

"Mmm," Chloe hummed in response, still not turning her gaze from whatever it was she was working on.

Oddly, her lack of attention made this whole thing easier; even if Clark was a little upset that this person who was supposedly one of his closest friends and didn't even notice how distressed he was. Taking a deep breath, Clark let the whole thing out in a rush "I-think-I'm-in-love-with-Lex."

"And…?" she drawled, still not looking up.

"Chloe!" snapped Clark. This was important, dammit.

"Sorry," she said placatingly, though she didn't sound as though she particularly meant it. Chloe finally looked away from whatever it was that was apparently more important than helping her _friend_ who was having a _crisis_, but she did not, Clark noted sullenly, take her hands off her keyboard. "Are you worried that he doesn't, you know, like guys or something? Because I'm pretty sure he wears way too much purple to be completely straight."

Clark, who was Gay Now and thus offended by such stereotypes, glared at her. When she looked appropriately chastened, he answered, "No, from some of the things he's said I'm pretty sure he's bi."

Chloe seemed to consider this for a moment before pushing back from the desk, finally understanding that this was an Important Conversation. "Is this about the fact that you being in love with him could potentially mess up your friendship? Because I know how much it can suck to have a hopeless crush on one of your best friends-" Clark tried not to wince, he really did. This attempt, however, was, like many of his endeavors, doomed to failure.

"Oh stop it Clark, I'm not still in love with you." Chloe said impatiently. "The whole finding out you're gay thing kind of killed it. The point is, I still remember how it feels to be in that situation, and if that's what's upsetting you, I'd love to help."

And she looked so earnest that Clark briefly wished that was what he was here to talk to her about. Because, honestly, Clark was kind of a crappy friend a lot of the time. To the point where he was sometimes amazed that Chloe was still here and willing to help; and the whole thing made him feel really bad when he had turn down her eager offers. Plus, the way she seemed to over emphasize with what she thought the problem was made Clark suspect she might be a little mad when he corrected her.

"Actually Chloe…" he hedged, "I think that Lex probably likes me back. He kind of flirts with me… kind of a lot truthfully; I'm not really sure how I missed it before." And, just as he suspected, she was looking more than a bit peeved now.

"So what exactly is the problem here, Clark?"

Clark stared at her in disbelief. It was, after all, pretty obvious what the problem was. "I'm seventeen, Lex is twenty-three. That's illegal, and while I know Lex is willing to bend the law sometimes, I really don't think he wants to go to jail for child molestation."

Chloe gave him a long hard look. A look that said Sometimes I Worry About How Deeply Stupid You Are, and had Clark reviewing everything he'd said for the last ten minutes. Finally, just as he was about to admit that maybe he was a little old for it to be called _child_ molestation, Chloe revealed why, exactly, she thought Clark was being stupid. "The age of consent is sixteen in Kansas."

"Oh," Clark responded automatically. Then again a minute later when what she had said had sunken in, "Oh." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well then, I'll just be going…"

Chloe laughed and smiled in a way that was one part indulgent, and two parts mocking. Clark, though, was feeling particularly magnanimous and decided to forgive her for that. "You do that then," she said before turning her full attention back to her computer.

As soon as she looked away Clark ran to Lex's castle as fast as he could. And considering this was Clark Kent we're talking about, it was pretty damn fast.

* * *

><p>AN: Guys, the age of consent in Kansas it 16, not 18. Truefax people, look it up (and then stop writing fics where Clex is all angsty because 16/17 year old Clark is underage, cause he's not.)


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